Bringer of the Tide
by AnimaRosa
Summary: He was once a loyal Priest and a great friend. A man whom his two friends looked up to as a brother. Before he was Black Hat he was a Priest. BH centric. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Priest or any of its characters.

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><p><strong><span>Bringer of the Tide<span>**

**"You be a good boy now," his mother hugged him close, placing a kiss to his forehead before looking into his hazel eyes, her own eyes watery with tears threatening to spill over. "I know you'll be a great man and warrior. God has chosen you, he will protect you..."**

**"Mama..." he gave his sad mother a confused look as his father stepped forward, bringing him up into his arms for a comforting hug.**

**"Everything will be alright, my boy," his father ruffled his short dark-brown hair before placing him back on the ground. "You be strong now, Lucas."**

**"Mama! Papa!" he yelled through his tears as the strange men took him and got him into the car. Just as they began to drive away, a young boy, no older than 13, bounded out of the house and ran after the speeding vehicle.**

**"No!" he screamed in desperation, hitting the side of the machine. "Take me, not him! Lucas! Brother!"**

That was all he remembered. It was all a blur now, as if the memory was hidden deep within his psyche. He couldn't remember them well enough, but he did remember his mother's eyes, much like his own; his father, a strong man with a gentle heart; and his older brother, brave and willing to give up his life for his family. Just their fleeting memory was enough of a motive to fight for them, to destroy the vampires. He had constantly asked about his family and the answer was always the same: nobody knew anything. They told him that they had mysteriously disappeared, vampires being the main suspects. That gave him a stronger desire to fight the unholy monsters, soulless and savage.

Knowing the dream wouldn't let him go back to sleep, he got up from the bed silently, sneaking out of the dormitory he shared with 3 other young Priests. He wondered aimlessly through the hallways, not a soul in sight, everybody in their dormitories. After a few minutes of walking, he suddenly heard a silent sniffling coming from behind one of the pillars in the main room. Following the sound, he found a girl, close to his age it seemed, hunched over in the floor, hiding her face between her knees, long dark hair strewn around her.

"Hey...Are you ok?" the boy asked, crouching next to the girl and bringing a hand to rub her back in comfort.

"Please don't tell on me, please," she silently begged, her face still hidden. "Don't...don't tell anyone that I'm crying."

Frowning he bowed his head to try and get a look at her face. He knew what she meant; they were Priests, they weren't supposed to show emotions. "I won't, I promise. But would you tell me why you're crying?"

"It-it hurts," she sniffed and hiccupped as she raised her head to look at him, recognizing her as one of the new recruits. He realized then what she meant; her cross tattoo was fresh and tender.

"It's ok," he gave her an understanding look. "I remember when I got mine, it hurt for days."

"Does it get better?" she asked, cleaning her tears with the sleeves of her shirt.

Nodding, he gave her a friendly smile. "I promise. You will even forget it's there. I'm Lucas by the way."

She smiled warmly, her almond eyes scrunching up with the action. "I'm Sarah."

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><p>"You're staring, Sarah," he nudged his friend in the ribs, having her snap out of it as she instantly turned to him.<p>

"Sorry," she said apologetically, her brown eyes daring to peak a look at the new Priest. "I just heard his story and it's...His sacrifice is too grand...How do you give up your child?"

He sighed, giving the blond Priest a brief glance before he turned back to Sarah. "I don't know. But it is God's will. In the end, he is protecting his family, even if he isn't with them."

"Still," she glanced briefly at the Priest. "I feel for him, it must be so difficult to have made the decision he took."

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><p>"You're good," he took Isaac's offering hand. "You learn very fast," he complimented as the blue-eyed Priest pulled him to his feet.<p>

Isaac shrugged, giving Lucas a stern look. "I still lack experience."

"Don't be so humble. With your abilities they might make you a mission leader pretty soon," he smiled, patting the man on the back. "Come on, let's take a break, we'll finish training later."

Isaac nodded, following the dark-haired man without protest towards the common dinning room. Walking into the room they saw Sarah sitting alone, drinking what seemed to be a cup of tea.

"You guys missed lunch," she deadpanned, blowing on the hot tea. "I saved some for you two though," she smiled then, seeing as there was no one else around.

"Always so thoughtful," Lucas chuckled, patting his friend's head as he walked past her and went to take his lunch.

Isaac hesitated for a moment before speaking, his face calm and serene. "Thank you," he gave Sarah a truly thankful glance before walking towards Lucas who held out his lunch.

"You're welcome," she replied with a half-smile, avoiding his gaze when he glanced at her. Lucas sat by her then, placing his food and drink before him, saying a quick prayer and crossing himself before he began to eat.

"So," Sarah began nonchalantly as Isaac sat across from Lucas and her, saying a prayer. "How have you been holding up, Isaac?"

Lucas choked briefly, going into a coughing fit. Sarah jumped at his sudden reaction, raising an eyebrow and patting him on the back to help him. _'Oh, this could be good.'_

"Honestly," Isaac took a bite from the bland food they cooked for them before looking at Sarah and answering. "It hasn't been easy...But..."

Lucas cleared his throat and nodded his head in thankfulness towards Sarah before taking a gulp from his drink and resuming eating his lunch, his gaze switching between Sarah and Isaac curiously.

"But?" Sarah inquired.

Isaac's eyes shifted then, looking at Sarah for a moment before turning to Lucas. "The two of you have made it easier and more bearable," the blond man offered them a sincere half-smile then, shocking both Sarah and Lucas for it was the first time they had seen such an expression on his face. Despite their shock, they gave him a warm smile.

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><p>"Hmm...wha-" Lucas grunts having been woken by a knock on the door to his dormitory. "At this hour," he whines when he sees that it's 2:20am. Nonetheless he sits up on his bed and stands, walking towards the door, not even bothering to put a shirt on deciding that his black pajama pants were enough.<p>

Opening the door while still rubbing his eyes, he frowns in confusion when he sees who it was. "Sarah?"

Sarah looked up into his hazel eyes, her own brown ones tinged with distress.

"Is there something wrong? What happened?" he asks with genuine worry for his friend and allows her to step into his room, closing the door behind her.

"I...I must confess, but I dare not do it before the clergy," Sarah turned to face him, her almond eyes beginning to water.

"Just tell me what's wrong, you're starting to worry me," Lucas stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders reassuringly.

Sarah gaped up at him, her features drawn into an upset frown. "I love him, Lucas...I try not to but...I do." She bowed her head as she allowed the tears to fall down her cheeks.

"Sarah..." he shushed her, pulling her into a comforting hug as she sobbed against his naked chest. "It's alright...It's alright, no one will know...Though, I already had the suspicion that you did."

Sarah looked into his eyes, her own widening in fear. "Does it show? Does anybody else know?"

He shook his head and replied, "No...I just know it because I'm your friend, you're easier for me to read."

Sarah nodded vigorously, sniffling as she stepped back, calming herself. "It hurts so much...Sometimes I wish we didn't have these vows tying us down."

"I know..."

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><p>"Do you miss them?" Lucas asked out of the blue, glancing down from the balcony at a mother and her child walking on the streets. They were in an inn at Magdalene, resting before the next battle. "Your lover and daughter I mean," he added when Isaac raised an inquisitive eyebrow.<p>

The blond man was silent for a second, leaning his arms on the railing and staring at his calloused hands. "Every single day...How about you?"

"Me," Lucas scoffed, shaking his head. "I was taken when I was just 6 years old, I barely remember my parents faces or my brother's for that matter."

"I'm sorry," Isaac apologized, his voice grave.

"Don't be, it's quite alright," Lucas gave his friend a reassuring smile, crossing his arms over his chest. "It doesn't hurt as much since I don't have a lot of memories. But you...You have a child out there my friend. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like...saying goodbye I mean."

Isaac nodded, lifting his gaze to stare at the horizon, squinting his eyes as the sun reflected on the desert's sand.

"How old was your girl when you left?" Lucas inquired, wanting to better understand his friend.

"Barely 2 years old," Isaac grumbled, bringing his gaze back to his fingers.

Lucas wanted to ask about leaving his lover with their child behind, how he dealt with it. But he hadn't the heart to do it; the man was, as usual, barely giving him complete sentences for answers.

"Shannon understood."

"Hm? What?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, confused at Isaac's sudden comment.

"She was my lover. Her name was Shannon," Isaac continued speaking, his eyes shifting as he searched his memories. "She understood why I had to leave, she gave me her support...It hurt her though, I could tell. She was scared for my safety and she was angry at first...But in the end she understood, told me that it was God's calling."

Lucas furrowed his brow, turning his full attention to his friend and the rare moment of reminiscing on his past.

"Now leaving Lucy behind...That was what made it all the more difficult and painful. She won't remember me if I come back after the war...My brother, Owen, he's looking after her and Shannon over at the town of Darius. He's with them in my place, giving them stability while I protect them from a distance, by means of this war..." Isaac was quiet then, breathing deeply and saying a silent prayer under his breath.

Both men were silent for a few moments as they reflected on the war and what would happen afterwards.

"I have hope," Lucas finally spoke getting Isaac's attention. "I have hope that when the war is over all of us in Priesthood will be able to go back home...Well, at least those who have people waiting back home, like you," he smiled sadly, remarking that he had no home to go back to, no one was waiting for him. "You'll be able to go back to Lucy and tell her what happened. I know she'll understand, you'll be her hero." He gave Isaac a friendly pat on the shoulder, trying to raise the man's spirit and hope despite the difficult times they were living through.

Isaac gave his friend one of his rare half-smiles and stood up straight, giving Lucas a pat on his shoulder as well. "You're a good man, Lucas. But don't think you don't have a home or a family to go back to."

"I really don't, Isaac, and you know it. I have the same situation as Sarah," Lucas frowned sadly, pursing his lips together.

Isaac shook his head before he answered, "No, you're wrong. I consider both of you part of my family. And Sarah and I, well, we're your family...I'll take you both to meet my own family," Isaac smiled warmly, a very rare occurrence, rarer than his half-smiles.

Lucas smiled then, not expecting his usually quiet friend to say anything else, let alone something so nice and heartwarming. He realized then that they really were like his family, his brother and sister. Now all he had to do was protect them and make sure that after the war, the three of them would go home together and safe.

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><p>"Come on!" Isaac growled, pulling Lucas away from the vampire he had just killed. "We have to go!"<p>

"Where's Sarah? I lost her!" Lucas yelled back as he ran behind Isaac.

"Safe! She's out already!" Isaac was quick to answer as he ran behind another Priest, the three men winding through the tunnels, searching for the way out. "Hurry!"

For the moment the vampires had dropped behind, but they could still hear their growls in the distance, their pace of running never faltering. Finally, they saw the light in the distance, their way to salvation.

_'Almost there!'_ Lucas thought filled with hope as he followed closely behind Isaac.

Isaac made it to the exit and Lucas was almost there when, suddenly, his feet were pulled from underneath him, large claws wrapping themselves around his ankles. Lucas fell on his chest and grasped the ground desperately just as Isaac jumped to the ground and managed to grab hold of his hand, both of them grunting as they wrestled against the vampires pulling and grasping at his legs.

_'Don't let go, please don't let go, Isaac,'_ Lucas thought desperately as he grunted in desperation, looking into the light-blue eyes of his friend, begging him silently to hold on. _'Don't let go, brother!'_

Horror hit him like a boulder as Isaac's fingers began slipping in their grip and his eyes widened in terror, realizing that he was doomed. A final plea died in his horrified eyes, never wavering from the light-blue ones, and Isaac's grip faltered. Lucas screamed in desperation and horror as the vampires dragged him quickly away, Isaac yelling in despair as he quickly and surely disappeared from Lucas' line of vision when he was taken into the darkness.

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><p>Lucas stared at the vast desert from the entrance to one of tunnels in the hive, his torn robes flowing in the wind, exposing his torso. He was leaning with one arm against the cave's mouth, his gloved hand gripping in tension the dusty cave wall. Brow pulled tightly into a furious scowl, his nostrils flared with rage and his lips were pursed tightly. Yellow, angry eyes watched as the sun rose in the horizon, its rays harmlessly caressing his slightly tanned skin, unlike his vampire brethren.<p>

_'You let go,'_ his angry voice resonated in his mind. _'You didn't go after me. Not even you, Sarah.'_

Something wet and warm trickled down his cheeks. He grunted in disgust; it had been a long time since he even shed a single tear. Bringing a hand to clean away the tears of rage, he was shocked when he saw blood on his hand. He touched his cheeks with his fingertips and when he brought them back they were stained with blood.

_'Tears of blood,'_ he shook his head in disbelief, resigning himself to allow the angry tears to fall freely.

The sudden change in nature and alliance had overwhelmed him with conflicting emotions and new revelations. He was angry, furious, and distressed that his friend, the man he had trusted, had released him, allowing the monsters to take him into the darkness. The thought that no Priest or Priestess had been sent back to search for him added more to his distraught state.

And yet, in the last weeks, he had slowly come to accept his new brethren, and he had discovered a new perspective. He had come to see that vampires were what their nature had made them out to be, just as his new nature urged him to sate his newfound blood thirst. After all, weren't there rotten humans that deserved to be eliminated from the face of the Earth? He realized how brainwashed he had been, much like his former brethren in Priesthood, how imprisoned they were by the strict vows the Church made them take. They had no freedom and now he had finally discovered that freedom, discovering the fallacy of what 'sinning' meant. He chuckled darkly to himself, disbelieving that he had to transform into a monster to realize how rotten this world was. It needed a bit of chaos to stir it up, to make the foolish humans understand that they lived under the protection of the monsters that were the Clergy, those who took away freedom.

_'They will know chaos and suffering,'_ he mused darkly, his bloody tears starting to dry, yellow eyes staring into the distance. _'I will be the bringer of that chaos.'_

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><p><strong>AN:** Well, this is just a oneshot about Black Hat before he was Black Hat. I had the idea while writing the dream sequences in Chap. 8 of my other Priest fic, Broken Rosary. I wished the movie gave some more on who was Black Hat as a Priest, so this is just my personal interpretation. I hope you guys like it. Reviews are appreciated! Peace out!_  
><em>


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